Oil + Gas

Forest Technician Jacob Floyd studies Longleaf Pine on Palustris Experimental Forest, part of the Kisatchie National Forest in Louisiana

Plan to stash planet-heating CO2 under national forests alarms critics

BY: - December 7, 2023

A proposal that would allow industries to permanently stash climate-polluting carbon dioxide beneath U.S. Forest Service land puts those habitats and the people in or near them at risk, according to opponents of the measure. Chief among opponents’ concerns is that carbon dioxide could leak from storage wells or pipelines and injure or kill people […]

Attorney General Jeff Landry answers questions April 26, 2023, at the PAR gubernatorial candidates forum held at the Crowne Plaza in Baton Rouge.

Members of Landry transition team operated illegal waste dump for years, lawsuits claim

BY: - December 6, 2023

A co-chair on Gov.-elect Jeff Landry’s coast and environment transition team has been embroiled in litigation for nearly a decade because of his alleged illegal operation of a dump for toxic and hazardous oil and gas waste in Montana, according to court records. And another member of that team was co-owner of the company that […]

Gas pollution rises from the Valero Oil refinery in Meraux

Oil and gas industry subject to new rule on methane emissions

BY: - December 5, 2023

A new federal rule issued Saturday targets the oil and gas industry’s methane emissions, which experts say are a primary culprit in global warming and cost Louisiana millions in lost tax revenue. The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s new policy requires oil and gas facilities to perform comprehensive monitoring for methane leaks. It also phases in […]

Lake Maurepas map

Lake Maurepas carbon capture project draws increasing opposition

BY: - December 3, 2023

It has become perhaps the most controversial environmental issue in southeast Louisiana. The residents who oppose a plan to let heavy industry use Lake Maurepas as a storage site for carbon dioxide emissions span the spectrum of race, class, age, education level and political affiliation.  Chemical giant Air Products wants to drill wells in Lake […]

COMMENTARY
Louisiana Gov.-elect Jeff Landry delivers a victory speech to supporters Oct. 14, 2023, at The Ballroom in Broussard after claiming an outright win in the primary election.

Landry sends mixed messages with ‘carbon neutral’ comments, trial lawyer ties

BY: - November 24, 2023

Gov.-elect Jeff Landry’s pick for Louisiana Department of Environmental Quality secretary last week was something of a head-scratcher. It’s not so surprising he picked a former Trump administration employee for the job, but Aurelia Skipwith Giacometto’s background as leader of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service has many questioning why she would be considered a […]

The GE-Alstom Block Island Wind Farm stands 3 miles off of Block Island on Sept. 22, 2016 New Shoreham, Rhode Island.

Despite setbacks, states are still counting on offshore wind

BY: - November 22, 2023

In recent months, East Coast states’ plans to install massive new offshore wind farms have been battered by bad economic news, canceled contracts and newfound uncertainty about the projects officials are counting on to reach their clean energy goals. Despite the setbacks, state leaders say they don’t intend to dial back their offshore wind ambitions. […]

The GE-Alstom Block Island Wind Farm stands 3 miles off of Block Island on Sept. 22, 2016 New Shoreham, Rhode Island.

As industry struggles, federal, state offshore wind goals could get tougher to meet

BY: - November 3, 2023

Good news or bad news first? Because there was plenty of both this week for the fledgling U.S. offshore wind industry. On Halloween, the Biden administration announced that the nation’s largest planned offshore wind development, Dominion Energy’s 2,600 megawatt Coastal Virginia Offshore Wind project, received its last major federal approval. The same day, however, Danish […]

COMMENTARY
Newly elected U.S. Speaker of the House Mike Johnson, R-Louisiana, delivers remarks with fellow Republicans on the East Front steps of the House of Representatives at the U.S. Capitol

New House speaker Mike Johnson holds extreme views on climate change, science

BY: - October 31, 2023

Since Republican representative Mike Johnson of Louisiana was elected as speaker of the House last week, journalists and D.C. politicos have been scrambling to learn more about the formerly obscure politician described by a former colleague as a “background guy.” We already know that Johnson — who was first elected to the Louisiana House of […]

LSU’s Memorial Tower

LSU’s new energy institute faces global challenges, local skepticism

BY: - October 30, 2023

In Louisiana, the energy transition away from high-intensity carbon fuels is focused on things such as creating lower-carbon hydrogen and capturing climate-warming carbon from industry and directly from the air. But Brad Ives, the incoming director of Louisiana State University’s nascent Institute for Energy Innovation, wants to expand the possibilities to include energy sources such […]

A pair of large, rusted tanks sit next to an abandoned well oil well in St. Martin Parish.

Louisiana adopts stronger rule to tackle orphaned oil well problem

BY: - October 24, 2023

The Louisiana Department of Natural Resources finalized a new rule Friday to help reduce the number of orphaned oil and gas wells throughout the state. At one point last year, Louisiana had more than 4,600 wells considered orphaned, meaning they were abandoned with no financially viable owner to take responsibility. These wells can pose a […]

The tanks and pipework of a hydrogen hub

‘So many ways hydrogen can go wrong’: Hub announcements viewed with caution

BY: - October 14, 2023

The Friday announcement that seven projects had been selected to receive $7 billion in seed money to kickstart the production of clean hydrogen across the country was billed by President Joe Biden’s administration as a major step toward slashing carbon emissions, creating thousands of domestic jobs and positioning the U.S. as a clean energy leader. […]

The south side of the White House is

Louisiana not among states White House chooses for $7 billion in clean hydrogen hubs

BY: - October 13, 2023

The Biden administration is directing $7 billion from the bipartisan infrastructure law to build seven regional hydrogen power hubs in 16 states, the White House announced Friday. The projects, each of which is a cluster of assets that produce and process hydrogen fuel as an alternative to fossil fuels, will benefit the climate, the economy […]